International
Hundred of Scottish churches up for sale as UK turns away from Christianity
The Church of Scotland is selling 100 historic buildings to free up funds after a drastic decline in the number of worshippers and ministers.
Churches, plots of land and former council houses, some dates back to the 1700s, have been listed for sale at prices ranging from £35,000 in what the Church has described as a “painful” move.
The institution said financial pressures have forced it to make “difficult” decisions on its future, adding it now owns “far more [churches] than is required”.
The Church of Scotland has lost a million members since 2001 and the majority of Scots now say they have no religion, according to the latest census data.
It is also grappling with a fall in clergy numbers. In 2022, the Church revealed it had lost 40pc of its ministers since 2000.
By ridding itself of centuries-old, energy-sapping buildings, the Church is hopeful it can “reduce the pressure on congregational finances”.
A Church of Scotland spokesman said: “We understand fully the wide range of emotions – anger, guilt, sorrow and relief that the burden of trying to keep a place of worship open with few people and little, if any contribution from other community sources, has finally been lifted.
“The Church owns thousands of properties, far more than required to achieve our primary mission of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
“It is going through a transformation and it is essential that the Church is properly equipped to be fit for purpose in the 21st century. Although buildings are cherished, they must not hinder progress.”
Historic buildings on the market include a quaint church in Laggan, Inverness-shire, for offers over £35,000, and the neo-gothic St Mary’s Greyfriars in Dumfries for bids over £38,000.
The impressive town church, which closes to worshippers for the final time on Thursday, measures 594 sqm and is a fraction of the £165,000 average house price in the area. However, like most of the churches on the market, its energy performance is in dire straits – holding the lowest EPC score of G.
The prominent St Marks in the heart of Aberdeen is the priciest property for sale, listed for £390,000. Other places of worship on the market include Kirkinner Church (£40,000) in Dumfries and Galloway, and Kirknewton Church (£215,000) in West Lothian.
Since unveiling its plan to significantly slim down its portfolio, the Church has been accused of disrespecting country dwellers by forcing them to make lengthy trips to neighbouring parishes.
The closure of the 900-year-old Birnie Kirk, Moray, caused uproar last year after being listed on the market. The historic church, which is one of the oldest in Scotland, is yet to be sold but will be released from ownership by 2027.
“The patterns of Church life have changed over the decades and we recognise that the speed and pace of the change has been difficult, challenging and a painful experience for man,” a spokesman said.
Birnie Kirk’s near 900-year run as a place of worship came to an end in November last year CREDIT: Peter Jolly/Northpix
The Church said its buildings “have the potential to be used for a variety of different purposes” – whether it be for residential, entertainment or education.
But, Andrew Boast, of SAM Conveyancing, a panel of surveyors and solicitors, warned potential buyers to be careful.
“No matter how enticing they may seem, you should err on the side of caution and not get too caught up in the excitement as churches can be far more tricky than the listing lets on,” he said.
“Churches are notoriously chilly and good at losing heat, making them tricky and expensive to keep warm.
“Converting them to residential or commercial buildings will involve navigating a complex maze of planning regulations and legal requirements – not to mention issues with conservation or significant historical statuses.”
Mr Boast said works are likely to be “met with a lot of bureaucratic red tape”, leading to lengthy delays and additional costs.
His thoughts are echoed by Emma Myrie, of specialist insurer Homeprotect: “A church or chapel may seem like a bargain based on the sale price alone, but factoring in the challenges around conversion, maintenance and upkeep could make it a false economy.”
The Church of England said it closes around 20 churches each year. Current listings show most up for sale are located in the north of the country.
Results of the 2021 census show that less than half the population of England and Wales describe themselves as Christian (46pc), a 13pc drop compared to the 2011 survey.
While the drop is sudden, it is not as stark as Scotland where only 20pc of the population class themselves as Christian.
Canada has invited 1,000 candidates through its Express Entry system to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class.
The invitation round was conducted on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, according to the latest ministerial instructions published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
The department said candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 523 to receive an invitation.
“Number of invitations issued: 1,000,” the notice stated.
It added that candidates ranked among the first 1,000 eligible foreign nationals in the group were eligible to receive invitations.
The round was conducted at 10:13:44 UTC on August 18, with a tie-breaking rule of August 17, 2026, at 22:09:00 UTC.
The tie-breaking rule means that “If more than one candidate has the lowest score, the cut-off is based on the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profiles.”
The invitations were issued under the Canadian Experience Class, one of the classes managed through Canada’s Express Entry system.
The ministerial instructions, signed by Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Lena Metlege Diab, in Ottawa on August 18, stated that invitations could be issued between August 18 and August 19, 2026.
“Invitations may be issued to eligible foreign nationals who rank among the first 1,000 eligible foreign nationals in the group ranking,” the instructions stated.
Express Entry is Canada’s primary online system for managing permanent residence applications from skilled workers.
It covers three federal economic immigration programs: the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Candidates create profiles that are ranked using the Comprehensive Ranking System, which awards points for factors including age, education, language ability, work experience, and other human capital attributes.
The highest-ranked candidates are invited to apply in periodic rounds.
The Canadian Experience Class is designed for skilled workers who already have Canadian work experience and wish to become permanent residents. Eligibility generally requires at least one year (1,560 hours) of skilled work experience in Canada within the past three years in occupations under National Occupational Classification TEER categories 0, 1, 2, or 3, along with minimum language proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark 7 for TEER 0 or 1 jobs, and CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3).
There is no education requirement and no need to show settlement funds.
Applicants must plan to live outside Quebec.
The August 18 draw followed a pattern of frequent CEC-focused rounds in 2026. A previous Canadian Experience Class draw on August 5 issued 3,000 invitations with a lower CRS cut-off of 516.
The latest round’s reduced volume and higher cut-off of 523 mark one of the more selective CEC invitations so far this year.
As of mid-August 2026, IRCC had already issued well over 113,000 invitations through Express Entry, with a substantial share going to Canadian Experience Class candidates.
Thousands of people turned back from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and returned to Morocco’s Fnideq began boarding buses home on Friday, with the operation continuing on Saturday, according to AFP journalists at the scene.
A Moroccan source close to the operation told AFP on condition of anonymity that the people sent back by Spain are to be transported home directly by bus or via the railway station in Tangier, 70 kilometres (45 miles) away.
According to the source, the Fnideq border crossing is now “completely secure”, as are the hills overlooking it, from which hundreds of people, mostly young men, had thrown stones at security forces on Friday.
The Spanish government announced on Friday evening that at least 48,000 of the 60,000 people who entered Ceuta in recent days had returned to Morocco.
Late Friday, AFP journalists saw around twenty 54-person-capacity buses depart, for a total of about a thousand people.
Fnideq is a small town of just 70,000 inhabitants, roughly equivalent to the population of the enclave of Ceuta, one of Spain’s two North African enclaves.
The buses were headed for Tangier, Tetouan, or the economic capital Casablanca, all equipped with rail facilities to redirect people who had come from as far away as Marrakech, more than 500 kilometres to the south.
“I heard that buses had arrived to take us back home. Honestly, I just want to see my children again. I regret having come all the way here,” said Rachid Aouchari, 32, from Ksar el Kebir, 170 kilometres from Fnideq, who was turned back from Ceuta during the night from Thursday to Friday.
Until midday Friday, clashes had pitted the security forces against migrants seeking to cross into Spain, either by swimming or on foot along a narrow wall leading to the Ceuta crossing point.
Police responded with water cannons and tear gas against hundreds of young men, arresting dozens of them, according to an AFP journalist.
AFP
A fighter jet crashed and erupted into flames at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California on Friday, sending smoke billowing into the sky that could be seen from miles away.
The single-seat F-35B Lightning II aircraft from Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, went down short of the runway just before 10 a.m. PT.
“The pilot ejected (and) was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries,” according to a statement from the wing.
Airport fire crews sprayed the wreckage with firefighting foam and worked to extinguish a grass fire surrounding the crash site.
“F-35 short final crash,” the Miramar air traffic control tower told firefighters in audio recorded by LiveATC.net. “It appeared that the parachute did deploy … and a pilot ejected.”
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Military plane crashes are typically investigated by the military as opposed to civilian crashes which are investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Billed as “the most advanced jet fighter in the world” by its manufacturer, the F-35B is a stealth aircraft that can land like a conventional plane, or vertically, similar to a helicopter. The more than 50-foot-long jet is operated by the US Marines, the United Kingdom and the Italian Air Force. The planes cost about $102 million each, according to the manufacturer.
About 15,000 service members from all branches of the military are based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, located in San Diego. (CNN)
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